A long-running dispute over Google’s efforts to digitize books has spread to China, where authors have banded together to demand that their works be protected from what they call unauthorized copying. Two Chinese writers' groups claim that Google has scanned Chinese works into an electronic database in violation of international copyright standards.
New Tool Finds Malware in Posts on Twitter
Kaspersky unveiled a new tool called "Krab Krawler" that analyzes the millions of tweets posted on Twitter every day and blocks any malware associated with them. The tool looks at every public post as it appears on Twitter, extracts any URLs in them and analyzes the Web page they lead to, expanding any URLS that have been shortened, Costin Raiu, a senior malware analyst at Kaspersky, said in an interview.
Facebook Seeks Users' Comments on Privacy Policy
Facebook head of communications Elliot Schrage posted a company blog entry inviting members to review proposed updates to the social network's privacy policy, and much of it deals with what happens to the content of accounts that members have opted to delete.
Google Tells FTC It Blocks Calls to 100 Numbers
Google said it restricts calls to less than 100 U.S. telephone numbers with its Google Voice service, responding to a query from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Google said fewer than 100 numbers are restricted, all of which the company said it believes are engaged in high-cost "traffic pumping schemes" such as adult chat and "free" conference call lines.
Twitter Warns Users About Phishing Attack
Twitter warned about a new phishing attack in which direct messages to users link to a fake log-in page that steals passwords. "We've seen a few phishing attempts today; if you've received a strange (direct message), and it takes you to a Twitter log-in page, don't do it!" the Twitter spam warning says.
Judge Kozinski Apologies for Photos, Jokes on Server
Alex Kozinski, chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has apologized for having maintained an e-mail "gag list" in which he distributed crude jokes and other humorous material, according to an opinion. Kozinski was admonished earlier this year in a separate case for being "judicially imprudent" and "exhibiting poor judgment" by placing sexually explicit photos and videos on an Internet server that could be accessed by the public.
Microsoft Warns Users About Windows Upgrade Limits
Microsoft has wagged its finger at users to dissuade them from hacking upgrade versions of Windows 7 to get a full copy on the new operating system on their PC. Reacting to tips being served up online, Microsoft's warned while it's technically possible to perform what's known as a "clean" install of Windows 7 on a PC you'll be breaking the law.
Trojan Horse Appears to Come from "The Facebook Team"
A new variant of the Bredolab Trojan horse is attached to a fake "Facebook Password Reset Confirmation" e-mail, security firm MX Labs is reporting. Some users are receiving the e-mail from "The Facebook Team," according to the security firm.
5.8 Million Web Pages Infected With Malware
The number of Web sites hosting malicious software, either intentionally or unwittingly, is rising rapidly, according to statistics to be released from Dasient. More than 640,000 Web sites and about 5.8 million pages are infected with malware, according to Dasient, which was founded by former Googlers to offer services to help Web sites stay malware-free and off blacklists.
Phishing Attacks Up 200% in Recent Months After Lull
After a lull at the start of this year, phishing attacks suddenly spiked 200% from May through September, according to IBM's X-Force research team. Phishers are going after log-ons to Web mail, social networking and online gaming accounts, security experts say.
Financial Regulators Challenged by Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn raise "serious new challenges" for financial regulators, the head of the largest U.S. independent securities regulator said. Wall Street bankers and analysts increasingly want to use social networking to connect and interact with customers, Richard Ketchum, the chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) said.
U.S. Regulators Move Toward Intel Antitrust Complaint
U.S. antitrust regulators are moving toward filing a complaint against Intel after the European Union fined the world's biggest chipmaker $1.45 billion for engaging in anticompetitive practices, sources said. Three of the four commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission, which opened a formal inquiry in June 2008, are in favor of filing a complaint against Intel, said the sources, who asked not to be named.
ICANN Board Set to Approve Internationalized Domains
The Internet is on the brink of the "biggest change" to its working "since it was invented 40 years ago", the Net regulator ICANN has said. The body said it that it was finalising plans to introduce web addresses using non-Latin characters.
Judge Rejects Settlement Over Stolen Brokerage Data
A federal judge has refused to approve a class-action settlement over contact information stolen from online brokerage TD Ameritrade. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco says the deal offers little significant benefit to the more than 6 million current and former customers affected.
Man Gets Three Years for Illegal Software Sales on eBay
A Virginia man was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for selling more than $1 million in pirated software on eBay. Gregory W. Fair, 46, pleaded guilty in April to charges of criminal copyright infringement and mail fraud for selling pirated copies of Adobe Systems programs between 2001 and 2007.
Defense Department to Lift Ban on USB Thumb Drives
The U.S. Department of Defense ban on USB thumb drives instated nearly a year ago will eventually be partially lifted to allow authorized people to use official flash drives for mission-critical functions, according to a top military official.
FCC Chair Worries About iPhone's Demand on Spectrum
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has expressed concerns about the available wireless spectrum for broadband devices. "The demands that are being created by the iPhone and other mobile broadband technologies threaten to outstrip the amount of spectrum that's available for commercial mobile, and it's important for the country that we get long-term planning right here because it takes time to identify spectrum and put it on the market," he said.
Two Groups Want to Seek .gay Top-Level Domain
Should there be a .gay Internet suffix? Two for-profit groups are pushing for one. The Dot Gay Alliance (dotgay.org), out of New York City, is being led by a longtime gay activist. And dotGay (dotgay.com) is being spearheaded by a heterosexual German man in Riga, Latvia, who has incorporated a company in San Francisco.
Court Gives Early OK to Facebook's Beacon Settlement
A class action suit over Facebook's controversial Beacon program received preliminary approval in U.S. District Court, allowing the company to clear the matter without long -- and expensive -- court proceedings. The proposal (PDF), which was made public last month, calls for Facebook to discontinue Beacon and cough up $9.5 million to set up a nonprofit foundation to "fund projects and initiatives that promote the cause of online privacy, safety and security."
FCC Moves Forward with Rule Supporting Net Neutrality
U.S. communications regulators voted unanimously to support an open Internet rule that would prevent telecom network operators from barring or blocking content based on the revenue it generated. The proposed rule now goes to the public for comment until January 14, after which the Federal Communications Commissions will review the feedback and possibly seek more comment.
